79-year-old escaped with only minor cuts and bruises (From The Northern Echo)

79-year-old escaped with only minor cuts and bruises

9:07am Friday 30th July 2010 in

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A PENSIONER had a miraculous escape after crashing into the living room of a house, leaving it in danger of collapse.

The 79-year-old escaped with only minor cuts and bruises after being cut free from his silver Kia by firefighters.

He had been travelling along the A67 towards Yarm, near Stockton, when he ended up inside the end terrace home in Levington Mews, Kirklevington, shortly before 6am yesterday after losing control.

It is not known how the driver ended up leaving the road, crashing through the garden wall, cutting across the grass, and then into the house. The A67 was closed in both directions for two hours.

Structural engineers spent the day looking at the extent of the damage after large cracks appeared in the exterior wall.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “I heard a loud bang.

I didn’t know what had happened.

It was very lucky the house was empty.”

Another neighbour said: “We have always thought this might happen because the road is really busy where the house is.”

Residents and Kirklevington Parish Council have warned it was only a matter of time before someone was hurt.

There has been a string of accidents along the stretch of road leading into the village in the past few months, including one which resulted in a car crashing through a different garden wall.

Rob Andrews, chairman of the parish council, said the pensioner was not the first person to hit the garden wall.

“I don’t know why the houses were built in the first place, it is such a dangerous spot,” he said.

“We have got the speed limit reduced and installed a flashing sign, but it doesn’t seem to make a difference. I really don’t know what the answer is.”

Richard McGuckin, acting head of technical services for Stockton Borough Council, said: “The council has introduced a series of safety measures along the A67, including reducing the speed limit from 60mph to 40mph, introducing flashing warning signs and new surfacing to improve drainage.

“A national survey of roads recently named the A67 between Crathorne and Darlington as one of the most improved for safety in the country.”